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Iraq: EIFA welcomes Abadi Reform Package but demands more

Struan Stevenson

The European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) welcomes Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s 7-point plan for reforms in Iraq and congratulates him on these courageous and long-overdue measures, but emphasizes four additional key actions that must accompany any such reforms:

 

  1.  Prosecution of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for crimes against humanity, torture, murder and corruption.
  2.  Eviction of Iran from all areas in which it has interfered in Iraq. ISIS cannot be defeated, nor order restored in Iraq until the Iranian ‘occupation’ is ended.
  3. Confronting and neutralizing the brutal, sectarian Iranian-led Shi’ite militias. No armed forces should be tolerated in Iraq apart from the Iraqi military and the police.
  4. Early free and fair elections under UN supervision.

The million-people protest marches in Baghdad and other cities across the country and their demands for an end to corruption together with the need for fundamental reforms in Iraq, demonstrated their faith in Dr. Haider al-Abadi and their belief that he will bring about these improvements. The support for fundamental reforms also shown by senior religious leaders in Iraq must now surely redouble Prime Minister al-Abadi’s responsibility for fast-tracking his reform package.
The catastrophic depth of corruption in Iraq, particularly during the 8-year tenure of Nouri al-Maliki and the disasters resulting from the Iranian regime taking control over large swathes of the Iraqi people’s daily lives, has reached the point that if Prime Minister al-Abadi fails to adopt these immediate and comprehensive reforms, he will lose both this golden opportunity and the trust of the Iraqi people.
Struan Stevenson
Struan Stevenson was a Conservative MEP representing Scotland in the European Parliament from 1999 until his retirement in 2014. He was President of the Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq from 2009 to 2014. He is now President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA).

European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA), 1050 Brussels, Belgium

President: Struan Stevenson, Chairman of European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq (2009-2014), Members of the board: Alejo Vidal-Quadras, Vice President of the European Parliament (1999-2014); Stephen Hughes, 1st Vice-President of European Parliament Socialist Group (2009-2014), Giulio Terzi, Former Foreign Minister of Italy; Ryszard Czarnecki,Vice-President of the European Parliament; Lord Carlile of Berriew, QC; Paulo Casaca MEP (1999-2009); Kimmo Sasi, MP (Finland), Honorary members include Tariq al-Hashemi, former Vice President of Iraq , Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of Algeria

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